Ergonomic golf club putter grip

ABSTRACT

A golf putter grip is disclosed allowing parallel hand, thumb and thumb pad positioning on the grip and promoting a geometrically correct triangular formation of the shoulders, arms and hands which facilitates a one piece pendulum movement during a putting stroke. A lower surface of the grip may include paintfill lines to allow quick, easy and repeatable positioning of a golfer&#39;s hands on the grip.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of golf clubs and putters,and in particular to a putter grip allowing parallel hand and thumbpositioning on the grip and promoting a unified, one piece pendulummovement of the shoulders, arms, hands and putter.

2. Description of the Related Art

The game of golf is hundreds of years old and there is a profusion ofpatents covering various technical advances aimed at improving one'sgolf game and lowering one's scores. Relative to most golf strokesintended to get the ball to the putting surface, once the ball is on oraround the putting surface, the golf stroke is somewhat different.Putting requires rolling a golf ball along a closely mown grass surfacecalled the green. The green may have flat, sloped undulating and/ortiered contours. Once on or near the green, the putting stroke differsfrom strokes intended to advance the ball longer distances in that,during the putting stroke, the hands, wrists and elbows stay relativelystill.

A very significant factor affecting the putting stroke is the manner inwhich the hands are placed on the putter grip. Ideally, the shouldersand arms control the putting stroke however the hands and fingers arethe only parts touching the grip. The hands and fingers often controlthe speed and path of the putting stroke. The hands and fingers alsohave a tendency to open or close the face of the putter impartingsidespin on the golf ball thus rolling it away from the intended targetline. In a proper putting stroke, the face of the putter strikes thegolf ball such that the golf ball rolls straight ahead along the targetline, with an end-over-end spin.

A conventional putter grip includes either a strip of material, such asleather, helically wrapped around the handle portion of the golf shaft,or a rubber extrusion fit over the end of the shaft. These conventionalgolf grips often include knurling, ridges and/or cord to allow thegolfer a more comfortable and secure feel of the putter grip. However,they do not facilitate the convergence and coordination of theindividual moving parts associated with a putting stroke i.e.shoulder/arm movement, lateral/rotational hand movement, wrist bend,etc.

The most popular, most conventional and widely taught method of placingone's hands on a putter grip is known as the reverse overlap method.With this method, the top or forward hand (i.e., the left hand forright-handed golfers and the right hand for left-handed golfers)initially grasps the top of the grip. The bottom hand then grasps theclub below the forward hand. There is usually an overlap of the top handindex finger over the pinkie, ring and middle finger of the bottom hand.As well as both thumbs placed vertically down the middle of the grip.

Moreover in recent years, the “cross-hand or left-hand low” grip methodhas increased very much in popularity. In this method, a right-handedgolfer initially places his or her right hand on the top of the grip andthe left hand is below the right hand on the grip. In any event,conventional grips involve a first hand gripping the club below thesecond.

FIG. 1 prior art illustrates the reverse overlap method with the resultbeing that one shoulder is above the other shoulder. The arms andshoulders form a triangle while gripping the club, with one vertex abovethe other. In FIG. 1, the bottom arm hangs lower and slightly furtheraway from the body due to its hand positioning on the putter. This opensthe shoulders, pointing them left of the target line which makes it muchmore difficult to maintain a putting stroke that stays parallel to theintended target line. In addition, the reverse overlap hand positioningmakes it difficult to produce 1.) a level/horizontal shoulder plane, 2.)a vertical axis of the putter meeting the shoulder plane at 90 degrees,3.) two congruent/equal legs of the substantially isosceles triangleformed by the arms and shoulder line, and 4.) the vertex angle of theisosceles triangle legs (both arms) meeting in the vertical axis midlineof the putter grip/putter shaft.

While it may be possible to adjust another aspect of the putting stroketo compensate for the hand-over-hand alignment shown in FIG. 1, it isdifficult to develop a consistent and easily repeatable one-pieceputting stroke controlled by the shoulders and arms instead of the handsand fingers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide aputter grip where both hands may rest on the grip along side each otherin a parallel relationship thus allowing the arms and shoulders to forman isosceles triangle.

It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a large,substantially flat surface area on the top portion of the grip when theputter is being held in which a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads may rest.

These and other advantages are provided by the present invention, whichin embodiments relates to a putter comprising an ergonomically designedputter grip providing a geometrically correct positioning of the handsforming a substantially isosceles triangle with the shoulder line as thebase. In embodiments of the invention, the grip includes a firstsubstantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club is heldduring the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and a widthperpendicular to the length, second and third substantially flatsurfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantiallyperpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaceseach having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular tothe length, a fourth substantially flat surface adjacent the second andthird surfaces and extending substantially perpendicularly between thesecond and third surfaces, the first, second, third and forth surfaceshaving a substantially rectangular profile in a plane perpendicular tothe length of the first, second and third surfaces.

The first surface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer'sthumbs and thumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other sothat the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isoscelestriangle.

In another feature of the present invention, the bottom surface of thegrip may include paintfill lines which are customized to each golfer'shands. The paintfill allow easy, quick and proper alignment of the handson the club for each golf swing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a prior art front perspective view of a golfer holding aputter;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a golf club including a gripaccording to the present invention in the hands of a golfer;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the golf club grip according to thepresent invention in the hands of a golfer;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a putter grip according to thepresent invention in the hands of a golfer;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a putting grip according tothe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through line 7-7 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken from the same perspective as FIG.5, showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken from the same perspective asFIG. 5, showing a further alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken from the same perspective asFIG. 5, showing a further alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken from the same perspective asFIG. 5, showing a further alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken from the same perspective asFIG. 5, showing a further alternative embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the present inventionshowing customized paintfill lines for positioning of a golfer's handson the grip;

FIG. 14 is a bottom view as in FIG. 13, with a golfer's hand alignedalong the paintfill lines; and

FIG. 15 is a bottom view as in FIG. 13, with both of a golfer's handsaligned on the grip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2through 15 with embodiments of the present invention relate to a puttergrip allowing parallel hand positioning on the grip and promoting aconnected, unified, one piece pendulum movement of the shoulders, armsand hands and putter. The present invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully conveythe invention to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the invention isintended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of theseembodiments, which are included within the scope and spirit of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in thefollowing detailed description of the present invention, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be clear tothose of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without such specific details.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is a shown a golf club 20 in thehands of a golfer. In embodiments in the present invention, club 20comprises a putter for use on a putting green. The club 20 includes ashaft 24 having a distal and proximal end. At the distal end of shaft 24is a putter head 26 including a club face 28. At the proximal end ofshaft 24 is a grip 30 in accordance with the present invention asexplained hereinafter.

The head 26 is not critical to the present invention and may be any ofvarious shapes and configurations. Similarly, other than supporting thegrip as explained hereinafter, the club shaft 24 is not critical to thepresent invention and may be any of various lengths and materials,including metal, graphite or various composites. As used herein, theterm “golf club” is used to refer to clubs intended for use during around of golf as well as devices directed to improving one's golf swing.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, with the face 28 of the golf club head 26square (i.e., “perpendicular”) to the target line of a golf ball, theshaft 24 lies in a vertical X-Y reference plane. In particular, theX-dimension of the reference plane runs along the axis of shaft 24, andthe Y-dimension of the reference plane runs vertically.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a putting grip 30 according tothe present invention shown gripped in the hands of a golfer as during aputting stroke. In embodiments of the present invention, grip 30includes a generally flat upper surface 32, a generally rounded lowersurface 34, a generally flat first vertical edge 36 and a generally flatsecond vertical edge 38 having a similar shape as vertical edge 36. Itis understood that the terms “upper,” “lower,” and “vertical” inreferring to services 32 through 38 refer to the orientation of thosesurfaces while gripped in a golfer's hand during a putting stroke.However, it is understood that upper service 30 need not face upward,lower surface 34 need not face downward, and vertical edges 36 and 38need not be vertical while a club 20 is not being used in a golf swing.Grip 30 further includes a distal face 40 having a hole formed at leastpartially there through for receiving golf club shaft 24.

As seen in FIG. 4, the grip 30 according to the present invention allowsa golfer to grip the club 20 with hands in a parallel relation. That is,both hands may lie along side each other on the grip 30 with a golfer'sthumbs and thumb pads aligned next to each other on the top surface 32of grip 30. The golfer's remaining fingers may wrap around the gripalong first and second vertical edges 36 and 38 and onto lower surface34. With the hands arranged on club 30 as shown in FIG. 4, the golfer'sarms and shoulders may form an isosceles triangle as indicated on FIG.2, thus providing a geometrically correct and triangular form.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 through 7, grip 30 includes a length, l,running generally along the X-axis, a width, w, across upper and lowerservices 32 and 34 perpendicular to the X-axis, and a depth, d, acrossvertical surfaces 36 and 38 similarly perpendicular to the X-axis.

As indicated by FIGS. 6 and 7, grip 30 may have a generally rectangularcross-sectional shape with a rounded bottom surface.

As explained in greater detail hereinafter, a grip 30 according to thepresent invention may be customized to an individual golfer's hands. Inembodiments of the invention, the distal end of the grip may taper tothe shape of and just larger than the diameter of the shaft protrudingfrom the distal end of the grip. In embodiments where the grip iscustomized to a golfer's hands, the taper may begin approximately ½ inchpast the ends of the golfer's thumbs when positioned on the grip. Inembodiments where the grip is not customized, the taper may begin 6inches from the distal end of the grip. It is understood that the gripmay have no taper in alternative embodiments.

The length of grip 30 may be between 5 and 10 inches and approximately 7inches in embodiments of the invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, thelower surface 34 is convex. However, it is understood that the lowersurface may be flat in alternative embodiments, such as that shown inFIG. 8. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the width, w, of upper and lowersurfaces 32 and 34 may range between 1 inch and 1.6 inches and may beapproximately 1.5 inches in embodiments of the present invention. Thedepth, d, of grip 30 may be between 0.5 inches and 1 inch andapproximately 0.6 inches in embodiments of the present invention. It isfurther understood that the ratio between the width and the depth ofgrip 30 may vary in alternative embodiments with the restriction inpreferred embodiments that the width is greater than or equal to thedepth, and that the length of a diagonal from one corner to an oppositecorner of the grip not exceed 1.75 inches. It is understood that thedimensions for the width, depth and diagonal given above may varyoutside of the stated dimensions in alternative embodiments of thepresent invention. For example, the diagonal may exceed 1.75 inches inalternative embodiments.

As shown, lower surfaces and the vertical edges are rounded. It isunderstood that the degree to which the edges are rounded may vary inalternative embodiments. Moreover, it is understood that the edgesbetween the upper and lower surfaces and the vertical edges may not berounded in alternative embodiments.

It is understood that any or all of the lower surface 34, vertical edge36, and vertical edge 38 may be rounded in alternative embodiments. Forexample, FIG. 11 is a further embodiment where the upper surface 32remains unchanged but the vertical edges 36, 38 are made wider and thelower surface 34 is made thinner so that the cross-sectional shape ofthe grip is generally that of a trapezoid. FIG. 12 is a furtherembodiment similar to FIG. 11, but the vertical edges 36, 38 are madeeven wider and the lower surface 34 even thinner so that thecross-sectional shape of the grip is generally that of a triangle. FIG.12A is similar to FIG. 12, but the bottom corner of the triangle has alarger radius as compared to the remaining two corners. The size of theradius may vary in alternative embodiments.

The grip 30 as described above may be formed of conventional materialsfor golf grips, such as for example rubber and rubber compositions in aconventional molding process. Grip 30 may also include known striations,knurling and/or cord molded into the outer surface of the grip toimprove gripping of the club.

The grip 30 in accordance with the present invention allows the club tobe more ergonomically held as it allows the hands to lie next to eachother in a parallel relationship. This parallel relationship allows thearms and shoulders to align with each other without one arm and shoulderbeing above the other arm and shoulder. This arrangement isgeometrically correct and unifies and connects the shoulders, arms andhands. This setup position promotes a one piece pendulum movement.Namely, the parallel relationship of the hands, arms and shoulderspromote a backstroke and forward stroke which keeps the face of theputter head perpendicular, or square, to the intended target line atimpact with the golf ball.

As golfers' hands have a wide variety of sizes and shapes, it iscontemplated in a further aspect of the present invention that the grip30 be custom fitted to the contour of a particular golfer's hands.Specifically, by taking hand measurements such as the overall size ofthe hand, the size of the palm, length of the fingers and the relativelength of the palm to the fingers, the relative width and depthdimensions of grip 30 may be optimized for each-golfer to ensure maximumcomfort and ergonomic fit.

Referring to FIG. 13, once a golfer's hand measurements are taken,paintfill lines 50 may be printed on the lower surface 34. Paintfilllines 50 may include hatched lines 52 showing where the golfer's palmrests on the lower surface 34. Paintfill lines further include fingercrease lines 54 showing where the crease lines of a golfer's respectivefingers lie on the lower surface 34. In particular, in putting, agolfer's back hand is first to grip the club (for right-handed golfers,this is the right hand). Each finger of a golfer's back hand has creaselines at each finger joint. For each finger, the finger joint nearestthe palm is referred to as the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint; thefinger joint in the middle of the finger is referred to as the proximalinterphalangeal (PIP) joint; and the joint nearest the end of the fingeris referred to as the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint. In the averageperson's hand, there are crease lines in the skin of a golfer's hand ateach of the three joints for each finger.

In the customization process, the location on the grip of each creaseline for each joint for each finger of the back hand when the golfer'shand is properly positioned on the lower surface 34 of grip 30 isidentified. These are points 56 on FIG. 13. Points 56 may be visible onpaintfill lines 54 or they may be omitted in alternative embodiments.The location of points 56 may be identified by taking measurements of agolfer's back hand, and/or by having a golfer grip a club properlyduring the customization process and seeing where each of these pointslie on the lower surface. Once the location of points 56 are identifiedfor a particular golfer during the customization process, then thepoints for each crease line of the respective fingers are joined with aline to form the three paintfill lines 54. That is, the points 56corresponding to the MCP joint crease lines for each of the four fingersare connected with paintfill line 54 a; the points 56 corresponding tothe PIP joint crease lines for each of the four fingers are connectedwith paintfill line 54 b; and the points 56 corresponding to the DIPjoint crease lines for each of the four fingers are connected withpaintfill line 54 c.

Once the customized paintfill lines 52 and 54 are provided on the lowersurface 34, a golfer may quickly and easily align his/her fingers alongthe paintfill lines to ensure proper and repeatable gripping of the clubby the golfer's back hand, as shown in FIG. 14.

Once gripped by the back hand, the forward hand (i.e., the left hand forright handed golfers) may then be placed on the grip 30. The thumb ofthe golfer's forward hand may be aligned along side the thumb of thegolfer's back hand on the upper surface 32, and the fingers of theforward hand may be placed over the fingers of the back hand on thelower surface 34 to complete the grip on the club. In embodiments of theinvention, the fingers of the forward hand may be placed over thefingers of the back hand so that the forward hand fingers lie betweenthe back hand fingers. In this embodiment, the forward hand index fingermay rest above (i.e., closer to the proximal end) the back hand indexfinger, the forward hand middle finger may rest between the back handindex and middle fingers, and so on as shown on FIG. 15. It isunderstood that the fingers of the forward hand may be shifted downwardon the grip so that the forward hand index finger may rest between theback hand index and middle fingers, and so on, in an alternativeembodiment. In a still further embodiment, the fingers of the forwardhand may lie directly over the fingers of the back hand on the grip.

Although the invention has been described in detail herein, it should beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments hereindisclosed. Various changes, substitutions and modifications may be madeto the disclosure by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention as described and defined by theappended claims.

1. A golf club grip for a golf club used in a putting stroke, the golfclub grip comprising: a first substantially flat surface facing upwardswhen the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surfacehaving a length and a width perpendicular to the length; and second andthird substantially flat surfaces extending from the first surface andhaving a substantially vertical orientation when the golf club is heldduring the putting stroke, the second and third surfaces each having thelength of the first surface and a depth perpendicular to the length; afourth surface between the second and third surfaces, the forth surfaceincluding paintfill lines to align fingers of a golfer's back hand onthe fourth surface; wherein said first surface has a surface areacapable of supporting a golfer's thumbs and thumb pads in an aligned,parallel relation to each other.
 2. A golf club grip as recited in claim1, the length of the first and second surfaces ranging between 5 and 10inches long.
 3. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the length ofthe first and second surfaces being approximately 7 inches long.
 4. Agolf club grip as recited in claim 1, the width of the first surfaceranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches.
 5. A golf club grip as recited inclaim 1, the width of the first surface being approximately 1.5 inches.6. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the depth of the secondsurface ranging between 0.5 inches and 1 inch.
 7. A golf club grip asrecited in claim 1, the grip including a proximal end at an end of thegolf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, thegrip including width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6inches, and a depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 and 1inch.
 8. A golf club grip as recited in claim 7, wherein the first andsecond surfaces are generally perpendicular, and √{square root over(w²+d²)}≦1.75 inches, where w is the width of the first surface and d isthe depth of the second surface.
 9. A golf club grip as recited in claim1, the grip having a substantially rectangular profile from across-section taken in a plane perpendicular to the length of the grip.10. A golf club grip as recited in claim 1, the grip including aproximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal fromthe end of the golf club, the width dimension tapering from the proximalto the distal end of the grip.
 11. A golf club grip as recited in claim1, the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and adistal end distal from the end of the golf club, the depth dimensiontapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
 12. A golfclub grip as recited in claim 1, the paintfill lines indicating a properpositioning of a portion of a golfer's palm on the fourth surface.
 13. Agolf club grip as recited in claim 1, the paintfill lines indicating aproper positioning of a golfer's finger creases on the fourth surface.14. A golf club grip for a golf club used in a putting stroke, the golfclub grip comprising: a first substantially flat surface facing upwardswhen the golf club is held during the putting stroke, the first surfacehaving a length and a width perpendicular to the length; second andthird substantially flat surfaces adjacent the first surface andextending substantially perpendicularly from the first surface, thesecond and third surfaces each having the length of the first surfaceand a depth perpendicular to the length; a fourth surface adjacent thesecond and third surfaces and extending between the second and thirdsurfaces, the fourth surface including paintfill lines for indicatingthe proper positioning of a portion of the golfer's hand on the lowersurface, the location of the paintfill lines being customized to aparticular shape and/or size of a golfer's hand; wherein said firstsurface has a surface area capable of supporting a golfer's thumbs andthumb pads in an aligned, parallel relation to each other so that thegolfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isosceles triangle. 15.A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the length of the first andsecond surfaces ranging between 5 and 10 inches long.
 16. A golf clubgrip as recited in claim 14, the length of the first, second and thirdsurfaces being approximately 7 inches long.
 17. A golf club grip asrecited in claim 14, the width of the first surface ranging between 1inch and 1.6 inches.
 18. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, thewidth of the first surface being approximately 1.5 inches.
 19. A golfclub grip as recited in claim 14, the depth of the second and thirdsurfaces ranging between 0.5 inches and 1 inch.
 20. A golf club grip asrecited in claim 14, the grip including a proximal end at an end of thegolf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, thegrip including width of the first surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6inches, and a depth of the second surface ranging between 0.5 and 1inch.
 21. A golf club grip as recited in claim 20, wherein √{square rootover (w²+d²)}≦1.75 inches, where w is the width of the first surface andd is the depth of the second and third surfaces.
 22. A golf club grip asrecited in claim 14, the grip including a proximal end at an end of thegolf club, and a distal end distal from the end of the golf club, thewidth dimension tapering from the proximal to the distal end of thegrip.
 23. A golf club grip as recited in claim 14, the grip including aproximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal end distal fromthe end of the golf club, the depth dimension tapering from the proximalto the distal end of the grip.
 24. A golf club grip as recited in claim14, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of a portion ofa golfer's palm on the fourth surface.
 25. A golf club grip as recitedin claim 14, the paintfill lines indicating a proper positioning of agolfer's finger creases on the fourth surface.
 26. A golf club grip fora golf club used in a putting stroke, the golf club grip comprising: afirst substantially flat surface facing upwards when the golf club isheld during the putting stroke, the first surface having a length and awidth perpendicular to the length; second and third substantially flatsurfaces adjacent the first surface and extending substantiallyperpendicularly from the first surface, the second and third surfaceseach having the length of the first surface and a depth perpendicular tothe length; a fourth substantially convex surface adjacent and extendingbetween the second and third surfaces, the fourth surface includingpaintfill lines for indicating the proper positioning of a portion ofthe golfer's hand on the lower surface, the location of the paintfilllines being customized to a particular shape and/or size of a golfer'shand; wherein said first surface has a surface area capable ofsupporting a golfer's thumbs in an aligned, parallel relation to eachother and at least a portion of the palms of the golfer's two hands sothat the golfer's arms and shoulders form a substantially isoscelestriangle.
 27. A golf club grip as recited in claim 26, the gripincluding a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and a distal enddistal from the end of the golf club, the grip including width of thefirst surface ranging between 1 inch and 1.6 inches, and a depth of thesecond surface ranging between 0.5 and 1 inch.
 28. A golf club grip asrecited in claim 27, wherein √{square root over (w²+d²)}≦1.75 inches,where w is the width of the first surface and d is the depth of thesecond and third surfaces.
 29. A golf club grip as recited in claim 26,the grip including a proximal end at an end of the golf club, and adistal end distal from the end of the golf club, the width dimensiontapering from the proximal to the distal end of the grip.
 30. A golfclub grip as recited in claim 26, the grip including a proximal end atan end of the golf club, and a distal end distal from the end of thegolf club, the depth dimension tapering from the proximal to the distalend of the grip.